Impudent
by Vanilla Bean CEO
Summary: She was not the type he would find to be ladylike, in-fact she challenged every good sentiment he had. Beckett/OC....Oneshot


**Impudent**

**Summary: **She was not the type he would find to be ladylike, in-fact she challenged every good sentiment he had.

**Pairings**: Beckett/OC

**Disclaimer:** May contain nuts.

**Warnings: **None

* * *

Cutler Beckett was a man of great consequence, he possessed a great number of outfits, all elegant. He wore tall black boots and a powdered wig. He was a lord, owned an especially magnificent horse, and he was feared by many.

Many but not all.

Among those who didn't fear him was his wife who, at her sober best, somewhat disliked him and thought his plans would amount to nothing. She didn't particularly care for the eradication of pirates and the promotion of the law.

"Esme, wife _dear_, where are you?"

"In the reading room, husband _dearest_. Due to extreme boredom I have been driven to explore the library, it's quite extensive, you know" Any person within ear shot of the pair would have been able to hear the sarcasm that laced their words.

Beckett entered the room and surveyed his wife who was sprawled on a chaise, hair loose and gown spread out. A book was dangled in one hand and an empty bottle of something in the other.

"Is there a reason for the unladylike position?"

"I have the most terrible back ache. You had better not have gotten me pregnant!"

"It would be about time." He turned and walked out. After a moment Esme followed him, leaving the book on the lounge and keeping the empty bottle in hand.

She found him in his office he didn't even spare her a glance as she entered into the room. "I paid good money for that new dress. Why don't you wear it?"

"Because, I don't like it." she glanced down at her dark blue gown "You wear dark colours, why mayn't I?"

"It is owing to the fact that you look softer and more feminine in light colours and I prefer you to wear them"

"Being soft and feminine isn't on the top of my priority list, _dear. _And they most certainly shouldn't be a the top of yours." Esme flopped into the chair opposite the desk, legs draped carelessly over one arm. She watched as he carefully added sugar to his tea, now he looked at her.

"Tea, _dear?"_

"I don't like tea. Have any rum?" she waved the empty bottle at him.

"Rum is a drink more suited to pirates than a woman of consequence, who by all rights should be afraid of pirates."

"I'm not afraid of pirates. You of all people should know that."

"Yes, I suppose I do" He nodded at a servant, who took a small glass of something alcoholic and handed it to Esme. She downed the drink and then held out her hand. Looking somewhat helpless the servant handed Esme the decanter.

"Much better." she smacked her lips.

"Your behaviour is deplorable"

"Only when away from the public eye. What are you doing?" she asked, as she took a swig from the bottle. "Eurgh. Brandy. I asked for rum, Cutler, rum not brandy!"

"I have no reason to give you rum and besides-"

"What are you going to do with it? Barter it for something? It's not like you're going to drink it."

"Esmeralda, that's enough. Be silent or go away"

She swore at him.

"What was that?" he looked at her sharply, Cutler tolerated many of his wife's bad habits but swearing wasn't one of them.

"I didn't say it in your 'mother tongue'!"

"English or Spanish. It makes little difference, refrain from using such language"

"You should have just hung me." she muttered, pushing a strand of hair out her eyes.

"Things would certainly be more peaceful if I had."

Esme glared at him and said something under her breath. She stood up, crossed the room and then sat down, having repositioned herself on her husbands lap, legs once again over the side of the chair.

"This is most inconvenient."

"Pain is to be endured. What are you working on?"

"Ridding the seas of piracy."

She nodded her head as she shuffled through a pile of papers "Tell me, _dear, _how are you going to accomplish that?"

"I am going to assemble an armada against them with the Flying Dutchman at it's head."

"That's cheating!" she accused.

"It's just good business"

"Fair enough." she kissed his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder, still reading various requisition orders.

Cutler seemed somewhat startled by her affection "Since when do you show warmth towards anything or one besides your dogs?"

"Since, husband dear, I have consumed one or two bottles of rum."

"I happen to know that it takes more than one or two bottles of rum to get _you _drunk."

"Yes, but its enough to make the world seem a very rosy place," she placed a kiss on his neck "Goodness, Cutler, you act like you don't enjoy this. If I didn't know better I would say you didn't want me."

"As much as I would like to shower you with my attention, I do have work to do-"

"Aaah. Is it time for the ill-mannered, impudent gypsy-wife to save you from the rigours of paperwork?" she attempted to grab the rest of the papers off the desk but Beckett kept her in place with one arm.

"If by saving me from the rigours of paperwork you intend to burn all my papers, then no. I do not require you to save me."

"Fine. Let me see, have you considered the Governor? He loves that brat of a daughter to no end....and there is also Norrington. He may have been willing to go to any end to redeem himself but he probably isn't over Miss. Swann yet. Oh, coils within coils, Elizabeth Swann has her fingers in all the pies – it would probably be easiest to kill her and then sit back and watch everyone fall apart."

"Norrington is easy to control, he's like a whipped dog-"

"How delightful for him."

"-But you are right about the Governor, I will keep a close eye on him."

"Good see that you do, is there anything else? Have you decided on troop deployment?" she sat up and pawed through the papers until she came to what she was looking for. With a satisfied noise she flipped through them, occasionally inking in notes and corrections while Cutler watched from over her shoulder, his hands on her hips keeping from her moving away.

"That should be about it." she nodded "You know, one day I won't be there to straighten out your plans and you'll get yourself killed. And then....then I'll be a wealthy widow...hmm. I'm not too upset at the thought of that"

"Ah, to have a loyal wife."

"It's just good business, dear"

"I suppose it is. So tell me, what did you do today that gave you the desire to drink several bottles of rum?"

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, "Well, I got some message from some Lady Felming inviting me to tea this morning but I wrote her a letter saying that I was indisposed and I was, indisposed to drink tea. Besides, I am the highest ranking woman in Port Royal, I do not require those _tall _women to stare down at me" Esme was not bothered by the fact that she was shorter than her husband and therefore shorter than all the women in Port Royal. She _was _bothered by the fact that all the other aristocratic women took great delight in staring down at her.

"Lady Felming and her friends behave like a group of whores. They are disgraces to their husbands."

"They're bored, darling. They're rich girls who have never had to work a day in their lives. They are use to having all manner of amusements. If they behave like whores it because whores aren't bound by social restrictions"

"You would know."

"No I would not!" she shifted her position so that she was straddling his waist, staring face to face with him "My mother was a_ seamstress_ not a whore and neither was I, as _you _would know. You didn't find me in a brothel, you found me in some uncharted cove. You can bloody well attest to the fact that I wasn't a whore!"

"That is true, our wedding night did clear up quite a few....questions." he ran his hands up her sides "Though if any one saw how you behave in private they would have no doubt about your origins"

"Yes but that is why I don't have anyone over. Besides, I have all the correct paperwork and whatnot, you saw to that because you couldn't be seen to marry a misbegotten child of some seamstress, so you made me the daughter of titled Spaniard with an impressive dowry....half of which was true"

"Indeed. But, if you recall events, what you call a dowry was instead what stopped me from hanging you. Your life in exchange for the location of your father's treasure"

"Same story different words, they both end up with you and I married and wallowing in our web of deception. You know, there was some other reason I declined tea this morning...I just can't remember it" he sat back and waited, she would remember what it was. During this silence she lifted herself off the chair and walked back to her original place, leaning forward so that her arms were lying across the desk "Ah yes! I thought I should be home when you arrived and I drank the rum so that I would be in a good mood. Curious, darling?" her face was set in a winsome smile.

Cutler had to admit he was because while Esme was undoubtedly charming while she was drunk she would never have any inclination to sit around waiting for him to come home. "Yes,Esmeralda, I am. Why did you think you should be at home?"

"Cutler Beckett, you have forgotten!" she declared, eyes flashing "I am outraged!" she tried to pull her arms back but his hands reached out and kept them in place.

"Esmeralda, what have I forgotten?"

"Nothing, nothing," she squirmed in his grasp "Just 12 years of marriage. Nothing to worry about, dear"

Cutler was honestly surprised, his wife had always approached their marriage as a mutually beneficial partnership and admittedly so had he. They had both kept up appearances and had enjoyed many lengthy conversations on a variety of subjects. Never had there been any suggestion of _love, _there had been a vague affection but nothing more.

"Allow me to think this over" he said as she pulled her arms back. "You wish to celebrate the anniversary of....our marriage?"

Esme pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head "Well I'm sorry if that changes your perception of the last 12 years but I do actually rather enjoy your company and I was thinking that I may be just the smallest bit upset if you met an untimely end. Not too upset you understand but a little bit."

"How touching. You know what I'd be sad about, _dear?"_

"What?"

"Leaving my fortune for you to gamble away-"

"I do not gamble!"

"Esmeralda."

"It is not my fault that we've had no children. You're to busy with papers and eradicating pirates to devote proper attention to me." she stood up and swept all the papers off the desk "The one day that could possibly devoted to your dearly wanted heirs you _forget! _I'm going to get more rum and return to the reading room now where I will drink myself to sleep. Good afternoon!"

With a swish of skirts she was out of the room, calling for more rum. An hour or so later Beckett's work would be interrupted by a rousing chorus of a very inappropriate pirate song.

* * *

Well. I do not like this one at all. No!

Oh well. Whatever.

Vanilla Bean CEO


End file.
